Enlil, whose command is far-reaching, whose word is holy,
The lord whose pronouncement is unchangeable, who forever decrees destines,
Whose lifted eye scans the lands,
Whose lifted light searchers the heart of all the lands,
Enil who sits broadly on the white dais, on the lofty dais,
Who perfects the decrees of power, lordship and princeship,
The earth-gods bow down in fear before him,
The heaven-gods bow down in fear before him,
The heaven-gods humble themselves before him. . . .
Nippur—the shine where dwells the father, The Great Mountain,
The dais of plenty, the Ekur which rises,
The high mountain, the pure place,
Its prince, The Great Mountain, Father Enlil,
Has established his seat on the dais of Ekur, lofty shrine;
The temple — its divine laws like heaven cannot be overturned,
Its pure rites, like the earth cannot be shattered,
Its divine laws are like the divine laws of abyss, none can look upon them,
Its heart like a distant shrine, unknown like heaven’s zenith
Its words are prayers,
Its utterances are supplication,
Its ritual is precious,
Its feats flow with fat and milk, are rich with abundance,
Its storehouses bring happiness and rejoicing,
Enlil’s house, it is a mountain of plenty,
The Ekur, the lapis-lazuli house, the lofty dwelling-place, awe-inspiring,
It awe and dread are next to heaven,
Its shadow is spread over all the lands,
Its loftiness reaches heaven’s heart,
All the lords and princes conduct thither their holy gifts, offerings,
Utter there prayer, supplication, and petition. . . .
Without Enlil, The Great Mountain,
No cities would be built, no settlements founded,
No stalls would be built, no sheepfolds established,
No king would be raised, no high priest horn. . . .
The fish of the sea would lay no eggs in the canebrake,
The birds of heaven would not build nests on the wide earth,
In heaven the drifting clouds would not yield their moisture,
Plants and herbs, the glory of the plain, would fail to grow,
In field and meadow the rich grain would fail to flower.
— Sumerian Hymn